Physical-culture apparatus.



ALWIN KOST, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

PHYSICAL-CULTURE APPARATUS.

Application filed July 11. 1916.

'1 '0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l. .\l.\\'l.\ Kos'r, a citizen of Germany, residing at Seattle,.in the county of King and State of lashington, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Physical-Culture Apparatus. of whieh the followin r is a specification.

This invention re hites to improvements in physical eulture apparatus and the object of this improvement is to provide apparatus for imparting to the body a correlated series of muscular exercise and at the same time thoroughly massaging the trunk of the user during the process of the exercise.

e invention eonsists in the novel construction. adaptation aml combination of parts of a physical culture apparatus as will be more clearly described in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and finally pointed out in the up ended claim.

t the aecompanyin; drawings Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of my apparatus as it may appear when in use, a portion being broken away to'reveal interior const ruetiou; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a massage cradle embodied in the invention; Fig. ll is a view in cross sertion on broken line 3, 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view in cross section on broken line 4, 4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an enlarged view in cross section of one of the balls used on the massage eradle and Fig. (i is a somewhat diagranmmtie view illustrating the. means used to elertrii'y the massage cradle.

Referrin to the drawings throughout which like rel'erenee numerals iudirate like parts, the numeral H indicatesa fixedly secured upright post. prefera ly of rectangu lar cross section, that form a support for my physieal t'llltlll'r apparatus. and H is a bracket slidably-monuted on the postv R and held in adjusted vertieal position by a set. screw 10 or equivalent deviee. The bracket 9 projects outwardly l'rom the post 8 and has the upper end of a flexible eable 11 secured thereto, the lower end of the. cable. ll being eonnecled with a cross bar 12 that serves as a hand hold and may be grasped by the user as shown in Fig. l to permit the body to be stretched to its full length. and to further permit a twisting or wriggling motion to he imparted to the body.

llolow the bracket 9 is another slidable braeket 13!. held in adjusted position by a Set screw l4 and recessed as at 15 for the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26, 1918. Serial No. 109,804.

pipe or tube 16 within which a plun er 17 that is articulated by a pivot 18 with the central portion of frame bars 19 that support a massage cradle 20. The tube 16 is adjustable longitlulinally of the recess 15 and is held in ,any desired position by a set screw 21.

compression spring 22 is interposed between the end of the tube 16 and the inner end of the plunger17 to form a yielding or elastic support for the cradle 20.

The massage cradle 20 is provided with a plurality of vertically arranged spindles 23 upon whieh are mounted balls 24 preferably of rubber or of other like. relatively soft, material that are adapted to enga with the body of a person and massage tfie st omaeh portions thereof, while the exercise is being" taken. i

Each of the balls ll is provided with a plurality of line eontarl wires extending radially thereol' and formed like helical springs. sueh wires making contact at their inner endswitlrlhe spindles 2t and terminating at their outer ends in that they will make contact with the body of the operator but will not present shul'p ends lo serateh the body. This may be accomplished by doubling the ends of the wires lmelnvardly into the ball, as shown at 26 in Fig. 5.

The cradle 20 is preferably electrified as by a battery :27 ronneeted thereto by oil'- enit wires 2H wherein is provided it switch 29.

The top and bottom sides resmetively of the eradle 24! are eouneeted with the tube It; by helical tension springs 30 that work in opposition and ill balaueed relation to the s 'rin; 2; and admit ol a vertical tilting movement of the eradle during the opera on of massaging the abdominal por tions of the body.

3| are arms that are articulated with the cradle supports by pivots-3E2 and engaged by e mpression springs 32! wherel'iy they are urged inwardly and made to serve its guides to prt vent the body from rolling olf of the eradle. 'lhe springs 33 are preferably made fast to the arms 3| as by soldering and the pivots 32 are easily removable so that the arms; 31 may be entirely disconnected from the cradle. and the. cradle turned quarter way around by loosening: the set, screw ll and turning the tube 16 in the. recess 15.

Vl'hen the table isturned quarter way around as above described, it will be rigidly reception of a is telescoped sueh manner" and down over the supported in a vertical plane, and the spindles 23 will be horizontal. In this way it is better adapted for massaging the back by remrsmg the position of the body from that shown in Fig. '1, and moving the body up cradle 20.

When in use the bracket 9 is adjusted vertically so that the user by rising slightly on his toes and stretching to full length can just reach the hand hold 12, and the cradle 20 is adjusted vertically so that it will en- 'age the stomach of the user when he is in the above described position. The exercise is taken by raising and lowering the body and twisting from side to side the balls 24 rolling on the spindles 23, and thoroughly massaging the abdominal portions as the body is moved thcreover. It will be noted in Fig. 1 that the cradle 20 projects outwardly from the support 8 further than the hand hold 12 whereby the weight of the body when it is stretched to full length will cause a pressure of the abdomen against the cradle. This pressure may be regulated by adjusting the position of the tube 16 within recess 15. y

The massaging of the abdomen while the muscles thereof are in a stretched or extended position is found extremely beneficial to the abdominal organs and the massaging of the adbominal portions of the back while the body is stretched at full length is particu larly beneficial to the spinal column for the reason that it tends to loosen up and adjust the cartilaginous cushions between adjacent vertebra, and if persevered in, will cause a. thickening of such cushions in places where the vertebra have grown too closely together and caused a pressure on the nerves that issue from between such vertebra.

The current of electricity may be regulated to suit the individual and by reason of its being administered simultaneously with the massaging of the abdominal regions is particularly beneficial.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

Apparatus of the class described compris ing a support having hand holds associated with the top portion thereof, a vertically adjustable bracket disposed below said hand holds said bracket having a recess formed therein, a tube adjustable longitudinally of said recess, a compression spring in tube, a plunger movable in said tube and working against said spring, a massa e cradle pivoted on said plunger and tiltab e in one plane only, tension springs connected with the to and bottom portions of said cradle, s in les extending crosswise of said cradle, alls on said spindles, means for electrifying said balls and spring pressed arms for sustaining a. body against lateral displacement on said cradle.

ALWIN KOST.

Witnesses:

E. B. HERALD, F. C. MATHENY. 

